Softchoice study finds SaaS use encourages irresponsible computing

TORONTO, CANADA: The use of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications for work breeds irresponsible technology behavior - actions that endanger the privacy and security of corporate data - according to a new study by Softchoice, a North American technology solutions and services provider.

The study reveals those who use SaaS apps for work display far riskier tech habits than those who don't, and offers solutions to help IT correct these behaviors before it's too late.

"Cloud computing is changing our work habits and giving way to the expectation that our work files be accessible any time, and from any device, regardless of whether IT can securely manage it," says Mike Kane, Softchoice's director of Cloud and Client Software. "SaaS is becoming core to the way we work, which means organizations must act quickly to manage users in the cloud."

Careless Users in the Cloud (and what IT can do about it) examines the office technology habits of 1,000 full-time employees in the U.S. and Canada, specifically around IT compliance, password security and file transfer.

The highlights include:

* More SaaS apps mean more passwords to remember (or disable): 36 percent of employees access five or more SaaS apps on the job every day.

* Easy procurement of SaaS means users are circumventing IT to use them: 27 percent of SaaS users access work files through applications IT doesn't know they have.

Bad SaaS behaviors are more prevalent in younger employees: The twenty-somethings are three times more likely to keep passwords on Post-it notes compared to Baby Boomers.